Supplementary memorandum submitted by
the Department for Education and Employment (PAC 00-01/172)

QUESTION 160

Periodically the Department for Education have
undertaken Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing Surveys. These
sample surveys of maintained secondary schools in England collect
information, not available from other sources, about curriculum
provision in schools, teachers' qualifications and teacher deployment.

The results of the surveys are published in
Statistical Bulletins. The following table has been drawn from
Statistical Bulletins 8/86, 18/91, 24/93, 11/97.

PE Teachers

Full-time
teachers with
post A level
qualification
in PE

Part-time
teachers with
post A level
qualfication
in PE

Full-time
teachers
teaching PE

Full-time
teachers with
post A level
qualification
teaching PE

Proportion of PE
taught by
full-time
teachers with
post A level
qualification

1983-84

36,400

2,800

37,900

21,600

88%

1987-88

31,600

3,900

30,300

18,500

90%

1991-92

30,300

5,200

24,400

16,600

91%

1996-97

22,000

3,800

20,000

14,800

94%

QUESTION 162

The following table has again been constructed from data
in the Statistical Bulletins

Home
Economics
Teachers

Full-time
teachers with
post A level
qualification in
Home
Economics

Part-time
teachers with
post A level
qualification in
Home
Economics

Full-time
teachers
teaching Home
Economics

Full-time
teachers with
post A level
qualification
teaching Home
Economics

Proportion of
Home
Economics
taught by
full-time
teachers with
post A level
qualification

1983-84

10,100

2,200

11,500

9,200

94%

1987-88

8,800

2,800

10,400

7,900

91%

1991-92

9,900

3,200

10,100

7,900

93%

1996-97*

6,800

2,400

5,000

3,900

83%

* In 1996-97 in addition to the home economic teachers shown,
there were teachers of food technology who were included with
Design and Technology, but not separately identified.

Home economics included food and nutrition, dress, textiles
and child development.

QUESTIONS 165 & 166

Prior to October 1998 no data was collected centrally about
the number of playing fields being sold off. Section 77 of the
School Standards and Framework Act 1998 came into effect in October
1998 with the objective of protecting school playing fields. It
requires a local authority or governing body of any maintained
school to obtain the Secretary of State's consent before disposing,
or changing the use, of any school playing field.

Since 1 October 1998 (when the legislation was introduced),
81 applications to dispose of a sports pitch have been approved.
This represents an approval rate of about 3 applications per month.
The Department estimates that, before 1998, disposals were running
at up to about 40 fields a month.

The Department has never collected information on the number
of school playing fields but, for the future, data to be collected
through Asset Management Plans will provide a clearer picture
of the number of school playing fields throughout England.

QUESTION 172

The Education (Nutritional Standards for School Lunches)
(England) Regulations 2000SI 2000 No 1777came into
force on 1 April 2001. The regulations introduce nutritional standards
for school lunches for registered pupils in all schools maintained
by local education authorities in England.

They set out compulsory minimum nutritional standards and
local education authorities and schools are free to exceed them
if they choose.

Three booklets have been produced on implementing the nutritional
standards, which are primarily for use by school caterers:

C. Meat, fish and other non dairy sources of protein
covering meat and fish in all forms (whether fresh, frozen, canned
or dried) including meat or fish products, eggs, nuts, pulses
and beans, other than green beans.